Summer is officially here and what I need more than anything is a playlist full of songs that sound like the way the sun feels on my skin. Luckily, we’ve got at least 34 new songs on SSP’s new music playlist that fit the bill. A nice mix of tracks for lazing around by a body of water, reuniting with friends outdoors, or whatever fun plans you have if your city is reopening faster than mine.
Check out six of the alternative songs we’re spinning on a loop this week, and give the playlist a follow to check out the other tracks on this update!
Central Heat Exchange – Tulips at My Bedside
This new track from Central Heat Exchange feels like the onset of heat stroke. Like you’re floating on a raft in a river and suddenly realize you’ve gone from feeling warm and relaxed to being a bit disoriented and burnt. It’s that dissonant glockenspiel ringing throughout the chorus that reminds you to seek safety, even if you haven’t decided yet just how bad it is. I love a song that can make me feel the effects of anaphylaxis (sense of impending doom) without having to eat a peanut. Much less risky.
Grabbitz – Pigs in the Sky
Okay, if I were in a movie, this would be the song I’d want to play when I make my grand entrance. Something ultra-dramatic, like the opening of Deadpool. Grabbitz has gone from EDM to pop to alt rock, and I think this track effortlessly blends all of those influences into one perfect summer jam. In terms of the inspo behind it… I think he summed it up best:
“Remember last year when the whole world went into a lockdown and we all thought it was the end of days and everything you thought you knew was wrong? Me too. This song was written in the middle of that worldwide, collective ‘What the fuck?’”
Ryan Wright – Happy Birthday (Go Fuck Yourself)
I’m not a ~big drama~ type of person, but I love to channel the energy in ways that don’t affect anyone… like listening to Ryan Wright‘s new single. I can let out a few decades of pent up frustrations that I’ve never vocalized and lighten that weight off my shoulders without having to involve anyone else in my personal therapy session.
Also… reminds me of something I’ve been meaning to ask: does anyone else see a name in their Facebook birthday tab and go “why are we still friends?” and then unfriend them on their birthday? Or am I the only asshole using that feature to cleanse my feed?
Dizzy ft. Flyte – Primrose Hill at Midnight
I’m a long time Dizzy fan, and this new track with Flyte is maybe one of my all time faves. The band created a collaboration EP, reimagining tracks from their 2020 album, The Sun and Her Scorch, with different guest vocalists on each track. It’s such a fun way to keep the album alive without being able to tour or share it in the usual ways. It’s going on its own journey, whether we’re physically there for it or not.
PRONOUN – HALF OF THE TIME
Every lyric on PRONOUN‘s new EP is absolute gold, but there’s something about “I hate my teeth so I cancelled my smile” that I keep coming back to. You know the juxtaposition of happy beats with sad lyrics? Okay, take that but make it more jarring by making the lyrics so deeply introspective. Not just sad, but eviscerating every detail of your life and laying each discovery out on display. Pain.
Incase We Crash – Found A Home
Hometown boys!! Toronto’s own Incase We Crash are keeping pop punk alive, and also my fear of nightmares where my teeth fall out. In a time where pop punk has been gaining mainstream traction and growing stronger every day, IWC is a band that keeps me tied to the scene. That same “get me out of my hometown” energy and catchy riffs, but without the blatant misogyny I’ve come to know and l̶o̶v̶e̶ avoid. Plus… I love a band that puts time and effort into their visual content. This video with them as puppets is too much fun.
